I had built this path myself, step by step.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the wooden planks behind me.

I turned around, expecting to see Julian or Margaret.

Instead, a tall man in a dark grey suit was walking toward me.

He held a leather briefcase in his left hand.

He stopped a few feet away and tipped his dark hat.

“Ms. Bennett?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, my body tensing slightly in the cold air.

“My name is Arthur Pendelton,” he said.

“I am the legal counsel for the Bennett Urban Systems Board of Directors.”

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a sealed white envelope.

“I was instructed to deliver this to you personally,” he said.

He held the envelope out toward me.

“What is this?” I asked, not taking it yet.

The lawyer’s face was grim.

“It is a formal inquiry from the board,” he said.

“And an urgent request for your assistance.”

“The board is prepared to make you a very significant offer, Ms. Bennett.”

I looked at the white envelope in his hand.